Riding the tide of success from Monday’s designation of the new Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, D-Colo., introduced legislation Thursday that would protect 22,000 acres surrounding Browns Canyon of the Arkansas River between Salida and Buena Vista.

The proposed Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area would include 10,500 acres of new wilderness in an effort to protect the landscape surrounding the nation’s most popular whitewater paddling river for future generations of boaters and outdoorsmen.

Earlier last week, President Obama officially designated the 240,000-acre Rio Grande del Norte a national monument under the federal Antiquities Act. The area encompasses portions of the Rio Grande Gorge and Ute Mountain near Taos.

The designation will protect more than 60 miles of trout stream and critical habitat for game such as pronghorn, mule deer, migratory waterfowl, bighorn sheep, turkey and elk. In addition to a thriving population of wild brown trout, the fishery is home to native Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

“Protection of the Rio Grande has been years in the making, and for the hunters and anglers of New Mexico, this is a huge victory,” said Chris Wood, CEO of Trout Unlimited. “They have worked very hard to preserve the amazing fishery and hunting opportunities that exist in this unique place, and we should celebrate that in a big way.”

Similarly, grassroots preservation efforts for Browns Canyon have been in the works for more than a decade.

“I’ve been advocating for protection of this beautiful backcountry habitat since the early ’70s,” said Bill Sustrich of Salida. “I’ve watched the proposed area for protection go from 100,000 acres to just over 20,000. There has been plenty of compromise over the years, and now is the time to ensure that the incredible fish and game resources on this wild landscape are secured.”

Bad news, good news. Illegal stocking of smallmouth bass in Miramonte Reservoir will force Colorado Parks and Wildlife to partially drain the lake and treat it with an organic pesticide to kill all the fish early this fall. Restocking will occur shortly after the treatment is completed.

The upside for anglers is that, as of Monday, all bag and possession limits will be removed for smallmouth bass and trout until the treatment begins.

Situated in San Miguel County about 10 miles south of Norwood, Miramonte Reservoir is one of the most productive stillwater trout fisheries in western Colorado. Illegal stocking of smallmouth bass has threatened the trout fishery along with the lake’s abundant crayfish population and native fish downstream in the San Miguel and Dolores rivers. A recent survey showed that the predatory bass have increased from 5 percent to 44 percent of the fishery in one year, prompting the drastic Rotenone chemical treatment.

The exact date for the treatment has not been announced, but the reservoir will remain open for fishing until early fall. As the reservoir is drained beginning in May, angler access may become difficult due to exposed mud flats. Boat access will be limited as ramps will eventually become unusable while the water level drops. Anglers are encouraged to visit the fishery early in the year to avoid access issues later in the season.

Precautions for boating season. Boating season is underway at Chatfield State Park, with the park’s north ramp opening last week and the south ramp opening Monday. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding boaters of several precautions to take as they launch for the first time this season, including required aquatic nuisance species (ANS) inspections.

To prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species, all motorized and trailered vessels must be inspected before launch. Inspections are available at open boat ramps daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. until May 1, when hours are extended to 10 p.m. Pre-inspection seals are required for vessels launching outside of those hours.

Boaters are also reminded that children younger than 13 are required to wear an appropriately sized, U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device at all times while on board.

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